Eclectic Views on Gay Male Pornography

Pornucopia

Todd Morrison

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781317972280
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: LGBT Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

A unique, multifaceted look at the meaning (and the specifics) of gay male pornography

Open any gay lifestyle magazine (even the serious ones) or go to any gay bar, and you're likely to encounter something related to pornography, be it an image of a porn superstar or advertisements for pornographic magazines, DVDs, calendars, etc. Eclectic Views on Gay Male Pornography Pornucopia examines this phenomenon with a series of provocative essays, in which experts in history, law, media studies, and psychology, as well as laypeople and gay porn insiders explore the complex world of male pornography and the various ways in which it has permeated gay culturefrom the 1970s until today.

This first-of-its-kind book examines the phenomenon of self-writing and performance for gay men in the last century, specifically looking at the lives of modern-day performance artist Tim Miller, who has received national recognition for his one-man shows portraying his struggles as a gay man; Wakefield Poole (born 1936), the first producer of gay pornography (Bijou, Boys in the Sand) in the era accompanying the emergence of the gay rights movement; gay adult film icon Scott Spunk O'Hara (born 1961); and Aaron Lawrence (born 1971), who worked as a gay escort, actor, and producer/director of his own sexually explicit amateur videos.

In this groundbreaking analysis of gay men's relationship with pornography, you'll also learn about:

• gay pornography and the messages it carries about intimacy, body image, and hegemonic masculinity
  
• representations of ethnicity in gay pornography
  
• gay pornography and safer sex
  
• gay pornography and censorship
  
• viewers' perceptions of gay pornography
  
• gay pornography and internalized homophobia, misogyny, and body fascism
  
• changes in the way gay pornography is produced and performedfrom the 1970s through the 1990s
  
• the meaning of the recurring settings in American gay pornographic videos: prison, the military, and other all-male environments; and recurring themes: leather, S/M, dissatisfaction with heterosexual life, initiation into gay life, etc.

In addition, Eclectic Views on Gay Male Pornography presents two fascinating chapters about the case of Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium in Vancouver. In this landmark case, the Canadian Supreme Court was asked to determine whether gay male pornography violated the sex equality protections guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court also examined the way that Canada Customs treats international shipments to gay and lesbian bookstores. In addition, the book provides a revealing insider's perspective on the gay adult video industry that contrasts the workaday reality of making porn with the glamorous mythology of the skin trade.

Educating Gay Male Youth: Since When Is Pornography a Path Towards Self-Respect?

Christopher N. Kendall, SJD

Murdoch University

Summary. In 2000, in the case of Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium, the Canadian Supreme Court was asked to determine whether gay male pornography violated the sex equality protections guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Throughout this case, gay male activists and academics emphasised the risk posed by antipornography legal strategies to the dissemination of materials intended to promote safer sexual behaviour. Other arguments were advanced that gay male pornography should not be restricted because it serves as a learning tool for young men and, in so doing, does much to reduce the alarming incidence of gay youth suicide. The author examines these assumptions within the context of the gay male pornography defended in Little Sisters. His conclusion is that the present gay male obsession with hyper-masculinity, best evidenced in the pornography now widely touted by some gay men as a source of gay male identity and freedom, undermines safer sexual practices and the self-respect needed to combat youth suicide. The author concludes that gay men must commit to a sexuality built on mutuality, respect and caring (i.e., an identity politic built around sex equality). [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <[email protected]> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]

Keywords. Gay pornography, pornography, feminism, sexual equality, gay culture, gay men, internalised homonegativity

Research on gay male youth highlights two issues that need immediate action from educators and social activists. The first is an alarming suicide rate among gay adolescents (Bagely, 1997; Jennings, 1994; MacDonald & Cooper, 1998; Martin, 1992; Urbine, 1992). The second is an apparent increase in HIV/AIDS transmission amongst young gay men between the ages of 17 and 22 (Bull, 1994).¹ These issues, and others, point to a generation of young gay men very much in need of self-acceptance.

In addressing these issues, many educators have, understandably, turned to the gay community in an attempt to develop strategies that counter the stereotypes and prejudices that cause both homophobia and self-harm amongst young gay men. While this is a necessary alliance, it is one that will prove inadequate unless gay men confront the types of messages their community sends out to young men about gay male sexuality and identity.

In Canada, the need for such an analysis has become particularly evident in light of a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling on Canada’s obscenity laws. The case, Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium (2000), dealt primarily with the legal regulation by Canada Customs of lesbian and gay male pornography. This paper will not analyse the facts of the Little Sisters case in detail, as this has been done elsewhere (Kendall, 1997). Of importance, however, insofar as the issue of educating gay male youth is concerned, are the arguments raised by the plaintiff, Little Sisters, a lesbian and gay bookstore located in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a number of lesbian and gay groups that intervened on behalf of Little Sisters in an attempt to exclude same-sex pornography from legal regulation. The arguments advanced by these groups about the role pornography plays in educating gay youth, and the specific materials defended by them, say much about the types of sex-based messages the gay community now deems necessary for the development of gay male identity and sexual freedom.

My comments will be directed specifically at gay men and their defence of gay male pornography. This is for a number of reasons. To begin with, as a gay male, I have a vested interest in the outcome of those litigation and social reform strategies allegedly undertaken on my behalf. Also, despite the claims of those who would argue that the feminist movement has abandoned its fight against pornography (Strossen, 1995), much has been written in recent years by lesbian feminists in particular, detailing the harms that result from the production and distribution of lesbian pornography (Jeffreys, 1993; Linden, 1982; Reti, 1993). Such analyses do not, however, squarely address the topic of gay male pornography. Thus, there is a need for work devoted to this issue.

Throughout this paper, I will argue that, in attempting to educate young gay men about sex, educators will need to work together with the gay community to help gay youth come to terms with the reality of homophobia and the self-hate it causes. This cannot occur, however, until all of us, gay and non-gay, confront the types of messages that many gay men now hold out as indicative of gay male identity and sexual freedom. This paper will conclude that, far from liberating, these messages, best personified by the pornography now defended by many gay men as life affirming, increase the types of sex-based inequalities that are central to homophobia and prevent young gay men from developing the self-confidence and self-esteem needed to maximise their psychological and physical well-being.

Gay Male Youth and the Need for Sexuality Education

Cranston (1992) contends that self-esteem is the linchpin of selfpreservation. Hence, if we do not offer young gay men positive role models and a sense of self-worth, we do little to encourage them to protect themselves, for we merely reinforce the belief that they are devalued socially, and unworthy of the protection offered by safer sexual practices.

In addition to the self-esteem needs of gay male youth, safer-sex education programs must deal with the realities of same-sex sexual activity such that young gay men are made aware of what is and is not “safe.” At times, this requires a blunt and explicit description of what gay sex is and how best to ensure that any sexual activity engaged in is, in fact, safe. Given that most high schools have adopted sex education curricula, the responsibility to do so should and must rest upon those charged with developing and implementing these programs. Safer-sex education is not just about wearing condoms, however. Young gay men also must be taught that self-loathing and shame are neither normal nor permissible. Teaching self-acceptance will assist in saving lives by indicating to gay youth, and students in general, that homosexuality is not a taboo subject; that homosexuals are not socially deviant (hence worthy of abuse and ridicule); and that heterosexuality is not the only sexual orientation worthy of respect, support and basic human rights protections. Until this occurs, young gay men (indeed all gay men) will not be in a position to make the types of choices needed to ensure personal safety (de Bruyn, 1998; Pereira, 1999; Sanatioso, 1999).

Cranston (1992) argues that this process must begin within schools and cannot be left entirely to the gay community. This is not to say, however, that the gay community does not have a role to play. Nor does it deny the fact that many schools fail to do that which they should do. The goal, Cranston argues, must be personal and collective empowerment, a supportive environment in which young gay people can enter into a critical dialogue about their lives in the presence of both HIV and homonegativity.

The Gay Community’s Response–the Little Sisters Litigation

On December 20, 2000, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously in the case of Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium, a case concerning the right of Canada customs to detain lesbian and gay male pornography, that same-sex pornography violates the sex equality test for pornographic harm first set down by the Court in its 1992 decision in R. v. Butler (1992).² In R. v. Butler, the Court ruled that legal efforts aimed at prohibiting the distribution of pornography were constitutionally sound because pornography undermines the rights of all Canadians to be treated equally on the basis of sex. In Little Sisters, the Court ruled that lesbian and gay male pornography should not be excluded from this approach.

In R. v. Butler, the Supreme Court of Canada offered a radical redefinition of the harms of pornography. Rejecting the argument that pornography should be illegal because of its effect on society’s moral fibre (the position traditionally advocated by the courts), the Supreme Court chose instead to tackle the harms that result from the production and distribution of those materials that undermine society’s interest in equality. The legal briefs submitted in R. v. Butler provided overwhelming evidence on the harmful effects of pornography on women and men, and thus on society as a whole–research from which the Court found there is sufficient reason for Parliament to conclude that pornography amounts to a practice of sex discrimination (MacKinnon, 2001).

The scientific and testimonial evidence accumulated for over 30 years proves that pornography, as a discriminatory practice based on sex, denies women the right to participate equally in society. It maintains sex as a basis for subordination, fosters bigotry and sexual contempt along gender lines and, in so doing, ensures that inequality remains society’s central dynamic (Cole, 1989; Dines, Jensen, & Russo, 1998; Itzin, 1992; MacKinnon, 2001; MacKinnon & Dworkin, 1997; Russell, 1993). In R. v. Butler, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that:

[t]he effect of [pornographic] material is to reinforce male-female stereotypes to the detriment of both sexes. It attempts to make degradation, humiliation, victimisation, and violence in human relationships appear normal and acceptable. A society which holds that egalitarianism and non-violence are basic to any human interaction, is clearly justified in controlling any medium which violates these principles. (1992, p. 493)

In Little Sisters, the Appellant and a number of Interveners argued in favour of exempting same-sex pornography from this analysis. Specifically, these groups attempted to persuade the Court that sexism and inequality were not the result of the lesbian and gay male pornographic magazines and videos before the Court in that case. One of the pro-pornography Interveners in the case, Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere (EGALE), argued, for example, that in addition to helping gay men discover and feel empowered about their sexuality, same-sex pornography can be seen to be beneficial to society generally because “sexually explicit homoerotic materials have liberating effects that benefit women as a whole, as well as lesbians and gay men. By subverting dominant constructs of masculinity and femininity, homoerotic imagery and text challenge the sexism believed to be endorsed and reinforced by mainstream heterosexual pornography” (Factum of the Intervener EGALE, 1999, paragraph 17).³ Attempting to distinguish gay male pornography from heterosexual pornography, EGALE continued:

The specific materials at issue in R. v. Butler consisted of mainstream pornographic videos produced for a heterosexual, predominantly male audience. In contrast, this case involves the systematic detention and seizure of sexually explicit homoerotic imagery and text, produced by and for lesbians, gays and bisexuals. The expressions conveyed by the R. v. Butler videos echoed the dominant refrain on sexuality, while the expressions conveyed in the materials at issue in this case are those of dissenting minority voices. The evidence establishes that the Customs Legislation silences a form of expression that challenges conventional notions of sexuality, undermines the cultural hegemony of heterosexuality, and thereby contributes significantly to the social and political vitality of our marginalised communities. (Factum of the Intervener EGALE, 1999, paragraph 14)⁴

This view was shared by the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) who argued, “the equality rights of heterosexual women are also affected by the targeting of non-heterosexual materials. These materials benefit heterosexual women because they may challenge sexism, compulsory heterosexuality and the dominant, heterosexist sexual representations which often portray ‘normal’ heterosexuality as men dominating women and women enjoying pain and degradation” (Factum of the Intervener LEAF, 1999, paragraph 7).

Little Sisters and many of the groups that intervened in support of the store before the Supreme Court of Canada argued that gay pornography, because it is used and interpreted by gay youth in a society where same-sex sexual activity remains taboo, offers positive affirmation of same-sex sexual desire. Thus, these materials go a long way towards saving gay youth from self-destruction. At trial, the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS), for example, noted the need for safer-sex educational materials aimed at promoting self-esteem and preservation. Arguing that a healthy sexual identity fosters responsible sexual behaviour and the practice of “safer sex,” which is essential to curbing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, CAS called for the distribution of materials that are sexually explicit, frank and direct:

Altering human sexual behaviour, the object of AIDS education, is a daunting task. Simply put, safer sex education is impossible without talking about sex. Clinical depictions of safer sex are simply not as effective as materials with erotic content or with an erotic subtext. (Factum of the Intervener Canadian AIDS Society, 1999, paragraph 9)⁵

Similarly, EGALE argued:

The unequivocal message conveyed by mainstream cultural representations is that heterosexuality is the (almost universal) norm, and our lesbian, gay, and bisexual sexualities are unnatural, deviant, and perverse. (Factum of the Intervener EGALE, 1999, paragraph 4)

In this regard, EGALE relied on the testimony of gay author Thomas Waugh, who in earlier testimony before the British Columbia Supreme Court (1996) stated that, “the gay community is a stigmatised and abused community,” within which young gay people are taught to feel shame about their bodies and their sexuality (Factum of the Intervener EGALE, 1999, paragraph 4). According to EGALE, one solution to the isolation resulting from this stigma is “sexually explicit lesbian, gay, and bisexual materials,” because they “challenge the dominant cultural discourse” and provide “affirmation and validation of our sexual identities by normalising and celebrating homosexual and bisexual practices, which mainstream culture either ignores or condemns” (Factum of the Intervener EGALE, 1999, paragraph 5).

In a similar vein, LEAF, relying on the fact that suicide attempts appear to be two to 14 times higher among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth than among heterosexual youth, argued that the suppression of lesbian and gay materials fosters the oppression of lesbian women and gay men through invisibility and denigration (Factum of the Intervener LEAF, 1999, paragraph 15). Arguing that these materials perform a critical role in developing and nurturing non-heterosexual communities and cultures, LEAF reported that, in order to overcome social isolation, lesbian women and gay men set out to learn about a new culture and to find more accepting communities (Factum of the Intervener LEAF, 1999, paragraph 19). Sexually explicit materials, according to LEAF, serve as a compass, pointing lost gay men in the right direction, p...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Eclectic Views on Gay Male Pornography: Pornucopia
• Memoir and Performance: Social Change and Self Life-Writing Among Men Who Are Gay Pornography Producers and Actors
• Body Image, Eating Disorders, and the Drive for Muscularity in Gay and Heterosexual Men: The Influence of Media Images
• If You Look at It Long Enough …
• Homecoming: The Relevance of Radical Feminism for Gay Men
• Educating Gay Male Youth: Since When Is Pornography a Path Towards Self-Respect?
• The Queer Sensitive Interveners in the Little Sisters Case: A Response to Dr. Kendall
• In the Slammer: The Myth of the Prison in American Gay Pornographic Video
• “He Was Treating Me Like Trash, and I Was Loving It…” Perspectives on Gay Male Pornography
• Sex Pigs: Why Porn Is Like Sausage, or The Truth Is That– Behind the Scenes–Porn Is Not Very Sexy
• Alterity and Construction of National Identity in Three Kristen Bjorn Films
• Porn Again: Some Final Considerations
• Index